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Month: September 2014

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This is another great throwback project from Snoop Dogg. This time he links up with Tha Dogg Pound, Daz Dillinger and Kurupt for those who arent aware, to create a G-Funk sounding project to kick back to. It recreates the G-Funk era perfectly while also incorporating their journeys and newer inspirations, like Snoops recent foray into reggae. That combined with the great chemistry the three of them has helps to create a good sense of cohesiveness.

The lyricism is present on not only every track, but by every artist. None of the three let down with their lyrics and they flow into each others style very easily. They each not only have their signature style and flows, but it is rare to find a group of individuals that sound not only different from each other but from most if not all other rap acts out there. Snoop especially shines through his diversity, being able to add the reggae flavour for a slightly different atmosphere.

The production is diverse with some freestyles over popular new tracks, some old songs they did together and some entirely new songs. The backing ranges from reggae to Hip Hop to even pop sometimes, which is a new direction for Tha Dogg Pound.

With the features only being when the trio jump on someone elses track, this helps to create a more cohesive project that showcases their talents on tracks picked for others.

Overall, this is a great project if your a fan of the rappers or a fan of the era, but it may not attract new fans as it doesn’t contain any of the factors that may make it considered “popular” but it is a fantastic project for kicking back and enjoying a great era of Hip Hop.

The title of this album is a perfect reflection of how it sounds. Joell sounds comfortable on every track, even on tracks where the content is dark, and it is clear that he has come into his own as an individual rapper and not just as one quarter of Slaughterhouse.

Joell Ortiz is clearly a fantastic lyricist as shown in his work with Slaughterhouse but with these solo tracks he really showcases why he is one of the greatest lyricists in the game today. His tone, style and flow also have unique properties and help him stand out amoung the features.

The features themselves are good, and add a lot to the dimensions of the tracks. they are mostly singing on choruses, but the verses on there are also very focused and concise. “Brothers Keeper” is the obvious stand out track for features with the rest of Slaughterhouse on it but Joell actually stands out on the track, even with such talent.

The production on the album is excellent. The beats are very diverse and help to give Joell a varied palette to work with. They help to create a great atmosphere on each track that helps lend itself to the message on each song.

Overall, this is a fantastic album that helps to give Joell a solo platform to show himself as a great rapper and not that Slaughterhouse is a great music group.

This is a deep delve into Rittz emotions and feelings. It consists of songs about how he came into the rap game and established his name. This is all done through much struggle, as the song says. It actually comes across very well as a collection of songs, as each time it he brings up a struggle, it comes across differently or from a different view.

Rittz double time flow works well to cram in the information he wants to get across, while fitting it in around the multis. The only down side is that it can stay a bit mono-tone when it turns into a long verse and you really have ot focus to pick the words out by the end.

The production has a wide range from gothic to deep and emotional to light and airy. The production actually complements Rittz when he raps about his difficulties as in each case it switches up his approach and helps to showcase the imaginative way to approach similar track content.

Overall, This is a good project to listen to if your going through hard times as it is full of emotional energy to help you get through whatever your going through. It is definitely worthy of a full listen but then may not be appropriate or applicable for everyday listening.

This is a fantastically comfortable performance shoe. it may be a bit tight across the top to begin with, but that eases out and the woven top really helps the shoe to fit closely and comfortably with the foot to create a shoe such comfort that it could easily be worn as more of a lifetsyle shoe.

The new and improved flightplate is fantastic. It really does help with lift off and can help add an extra dimension to your game if that is a section you struggle with. If you can already leap, then you can use it to help conserve energy to use in other portions of play.

The one piece woven upper not only creates great comfort, it also helps keep the shoe light so it is easier to run in. It also helps with construction because with any join in any material causes weakness, so with a one piece upper, it helps to keep the shoe in one piece.

However, the support in the shoe needs a bit more firming up. When running round a corner, you can feel yourself pushing against the side of the upper and almost pushing the shoe over. It needs a firmer something down the sides to help keep it up a bit when put under pressure.

Overall, this is a great shoe for performance and lifestyle. It looks great and has a lot of great performance features. This is a shoe that is more than recommended if you need a new pair of shoes.

This is maybe not a story telling as the autobiography part of the title would suggest. It comes across as a collection of songs that are ordered from least emotional to most emotional. Not to say the songs don’t show a growth as a person for Jeezy as it shows him moving away from selling drugs and into the rap industry where he seeks bigger and better things.

The production is good throughout but feels a bit segmented, meaning that every few songs the production type and atmosphere changes to allow a step forward in emotional growth for Jeezy to express. It starts off very Trap and moves through the scale until you reach a more open audience range of beats that could be used for a wide range of genres. That being said, none of the production is bad, infact a lot of it is good and keeps the listener interested, it just needed some of the variation sprinkled over the entire album.

The lyricism is present as always and while it is not as prominent as the top lyricists in the rap game, it is included, just a bit more subtly. Jeezy uses his unique voice to stand out against the features. The features themselves are good and they reflect Jeezy’s own style which amplifies both performances.

Overall, This is a good album that helps showcase Jeezy’s evolution during his rap career and where he stands now. It may not be the greatest album of the year, but it is immersive and there will definitely be a few tracks for all rap fans to enjoy.

While Ty$ is a talented singer, he may need to find some new things to sing about. The actual vocals and the ability on this project is fantastic, however the constant stream of songs about women and drugs can become stale. The only thing that keeps you listening ot it is the fresh approach to some old classics. Ty$ takes “Dead Presidents” and flips it to be about strippers which brings a fresh perspective to what you can do with a song.

The vocals, as said before, are fantastic. Ty$ shines with ability and is rising up to take the spot as Hip Hop’s go to singer. On songs with featured artists, Ty$ really stands out as his style of singing ties together what the featured artists put on the track and helps the project sound a little cohesive, despite the repetitiveness of the song matter.

The production is good, with beats that blend with in with the singers crooning and help to showcase how talented Ty$ is. The project as a whole, production wise, fits together very well and as projects go the production flows together and is a good palate for talent.

Overall, this is not a bad project, and not as good as his “Beach House” projects, but needs a bit more variation in the subject matter to make it a great project. However Ty$ is still a very talented singer and should continue to make great tracks.

While the Air Jordan 3 is going on a hiatus, the recommendation is definitely to get this shoe if you can. The materials are of good quality and are put together well. The visible airbag is a nice touch and the immense history behind this silhouette add a lot of weight for collectors.

The iconic elephant print is a focus point and helps give this silhouette an eye catching and memorable trait that has been linked to the shoe since its release. The materials are fantastic in the sense that they are comfortable but are also efficient. The rubber tab on the back for example can be used to help put the shoe on and take it off.

With this being Tinker Hatfield’s first Jordan silhouette that stopped Michael Jordan from leaving Nike as a brand, it is coveted by collectors all over the world. This combined with the comfort of the shoe leads to a widely successful model that will continue to flourish.